Skin opening machine



Feb. 13, 1951 w. J. YOUNG, JR

SKIN OPENING MACHINE 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed March 27, 1948 INVENTOR WILLIAM J. YOUNG JR.

ATTORN Y5 Feb. 13, 1951 W. J. YOUNG, JR

SKIN OPENING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 27, 1948 INVENTOR WILLIAM J. YOUNG JR.

ATTO R N EYS Feb. 13, 1951 w. J. YOUNG, JR 2,541,319v

SKIN OPENING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 El L 1 FIG. 9.

1 25 l '20 i I 22 '1 i 1 I /a i /.5" 20 //a 2/ I l I x I i 1 4 67 62 3 I l l I INVENTQR WILLIAM J. YOUNG JR.

ATTORN Y5 Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SKIN OPENING MACHINE William J. Young, Jr., Danbury, Conn.

Application March 27, 1948, Serial No. 17,551

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a skin opening machine.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a Skin Opening machine which is simple, thoroughly practical, and durabile. Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above character which may be manufactured from inexpensive materials at low labor cost. Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above character which will be sturdy and well able to withstand continuous hard usage. Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above character which may be operated by unskilled labor after a minimum of instruction. Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above character which may be easily and safely operated by the user. Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above character on which a maximum of skins may be opened in a minimum of time. A further object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above character, the use of which results in substantial savings of fur to the user. A still further object of this invention is to provide a machine of the above character on which skins of all types may be opened. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application which will be indicated in the following claims.

Referring now to the drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a perspective view taken from a point above the machine;

Figure 2 is a top plan of the machine shown in Figure 1 on a slightly reduced scale;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a butcher rabbit skin;

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of a cross section of a sleeve skin illustrating the effect of practical.

the sleeve skin opening attachment on a skin at the point it is being cut;

Figure 9 is a bottom plan of the machine; and

Figure 10 is a perspective View taken from a point above the machine in which the sleeve skin opening attachment has been removed.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawmg.

As conductive to a clear understanding of certain features of this invention, it might here be pointed out that the machine disclosed hereinafter was primarily developed for opening rabbit skins. As is well known in the art, rabbit skins are harvested in many different parts of the world, and in addition to the variations in sizes between different types of skins, they are removed from the body of the rabbit in different ways. All skins, when delivered to the fur dealer, must be opened so that they will be in a flattened condition. This exposes the fur so that it may be processed and then removed from the skin.

Heretofore, a few skin opening machines have been developed but these have not proven to be This is proven by the fact that in practically of the fur shops, skins are still being opened by skilled labor, using ord'nary knives. This method of opening skins is both expensive and inefficient in that it is slow and also a substantial amount of fur is lost. The fur is lost because the knife tears a certain amount of fur from the skin as it cuts, and this fur floats in the air and accumulates on the floor, making an unhealthy condition for labor. Through the use of the machine disclosed hereinafter, the skin opening capacity of labor employed in this capacity is more than doubled and fur loss is practically, if not entirely, eliminated.

Referring now to the drawings, the skin opening machine is mounted upon the top It] (Figure 1) of a table or bench. The table or bench is constructed so that it is relatively rigid with top I0 a sufficient distance from the floor so that the skin opening machine is readily accessible to the operator. All of the mechanism of the machine with the exception of the motor is mounted upon a plate, generally indicated at H, which is positioned over an opening I 2 (Figure 2) in bench top I. The front edge Ila of plate II slants to the forward edge of the bench, and plate II is secured to top I0 by screws I3 (Figures 1 and 2).

The skins are opened by a circular knife l4 (Figures 3, 9 and 10) which is detachably mounted on a shaft I5 by means of nut I6. Shaft l5 extends transversely of the bench top and is mounted on bearings l1 and I8, which in turn are mounted on supports l9 and 20. Bearings I! and iii are combination thrust and radial bearings, and thus prevent movement of shaft i transversely of the bench. As knife I4 is securely mounted on shaft i5, the bearings maintain the knife in a set position with respect to the table. Bearing supports are secured to plate H by bolts 2| and 22 and screws 23 and 24 (Figures 2 and 9). Shaft l5 has a pulley 25 connected to its free end. Pully 25, and thus shaft I5, is driven by means of an endless belt 26, which is also connected to the driving pulley of a motor (not shown) mounted on the bench below the skin opening machine. Thus, the motor drives knife l4 through its pulley, belt 26, pulley 25 and shaft 15.

Shaft i5 is so spaced from the under surface of plate (Figure 3) that a substantial portion of knife l4 extends above the upper surface of plate Knife l4 extends through a slot 21 (Figure 9) in plate H which has enlarged ends 21a and 21b for purposes to be disclosed more fully hereinafter.

As pointed out hereinabove, rabbit skins are of many different types and all types are turned inside out when they reach the operator. Some skins, such as that illustrated in Figure '7, include pockets A and B which must be out along lines C and D. Another portion E of this skin is in the form of a sleeve which must be cut on line F. In other types of skins, certain portions of the skins may be pulled inside when the skin is removed from the body, and it is necessary to push these out before cutting. In this machine, which is universal in that it opens all types of skins, the average skin is opened through the use of the skin guide, indicated generally at 33 (Figures 3 and Sleeve skins, which are substantially larger than butcher skins and which are tubular in form, are opened on an attachment, generally indicated at 3|, which is mounted on the machine over guide 30. This attachment coacts with guide 30 to guide and support skins as they are fed to the knife.

Guide 33 (Figure 10), which is relatively narrow, tapers to a pointed portion 30a on one end and a rounded nose portion 3022 on its other end. A pair of legs 32 and 33 (Figures 3 and 10) are formed on guide 30, extend downwardly from the guide, and terminate in foot portions 32a and 3311 which are secured to plate 1| by screws 34 and 35. Legs 32 and 33 form the sole supports for guide 39 and are substantially aligned with the highest point of knife M so that they cannot interfere with the operation of the machine. Legs 32 and 33 space the under surface of guide 33 from plate ll, leaving ample space so that a skin can be fed to the knife from either end of the guide 33. Guide 30 is provided with a longitudinal slot 36 (Figure 3) centrally positioned with respect thereto. The upper portion of knife 94 extends into this slot which serves as a shield for the upper portion of the knife and also ensures that the portion of the knife which is doing the cutting will always be angularly positioned with respect to the out being made.

The nose portion 36b of guide 30 is used for making the cut F (Figure 7), its end entering the skin from the center. The operator draws the skin rearwardly over guide 33, the nose portion 3% (Figure 10) passing through the center of sleeve portion E (Figure '7). As the skin is rawn rearwardly, the body of guide 30 supports the skin, which is pulled upwardly as it is fed rearwardly so that knife l4 makes an even cut on the line F. Nose portion b is also used in turning out any portion of a skin which has been pulled inwardly during skinning by simply pushing the inverted portion of the skin against nose portion 3317. This turns the portion outwardly so that it will be properly cut by the knife. In certain skins, if the type of skin being opened has legs or heads which must be removed, then the skin is turned sidewise to nose portion 30b and the portion to be removed fed to the knife. Ample clearance between guide 30 and plate H is provided for this purpose, so that the knife is readily accessible.

In opening corners or pocket portions A and B (Figure 7), the point 33a (Figures 3 and 10) is used. It will be noted that the body of guide 3Q slants downwardly at 300 (Figure 3) and that point 38a extends upwardly and rearwardly from the lower portion of the guide 33. The rear end of point 38 is sharp, and its lower surface leads directly to knife It. This is accomplished by having slot as extend downwardly through the forward end of point 33a so that the edge of knife is is positioned in the lower end of point 3311,. In opening a pocket, point 33a enters the pocket from the inside, and the operator draws the skin outwardly. When point 300. reaches the end of the pocket, it pierces the skin, and then as the forward motion of the skin continues, the unopened portion of the skin slides down the under surface of point 33a to knife M where it is cut. Because of the small size of point 33a, pockets of size may be quickly and easily opened. Thus, on guide 3?) any skin may be opened providing the skin is not too large for guide 33 to properly support it as it is being fed to knife M.

Sleeve skins are too large to be properly cut on guide 30, and accordingly attachment 3| is used. Attachment or guide 3| (Figures 1 and 2) e include a body, generally indicated at 43, an arm,

generally indicated at 4|, pivotally connected thereto and a supporting section 42 connected to body Ml. Body t!) is connected to the upper portion of supporting section 42 (Figure 3) so that the under surface of body 40 is spaced from plate H. Supporting section 42 is secured to plate H in any suitable manner, such as by bolts 43 (Figures 1 and 3) Body 43 includes a recess M (Figures 1 and 2) Within which guide 39 is positioned when attachment 3| is used, and it will be noted that the under surface 45 of the forward portion of guide 33 blends into the under surface of the forward portion of attachment 3 1. Thus, guide 38 coacts with attachment 3| in supporting a sleeve skin as it is being fed to the knife, and also guide 3?), at all times, acts as a shield for knife I4.

To properly stretch sleeve skins as they are being opened, arm 4| is provided. Arm l! includes a portion Ma (Figures 2 and 3) which extends into a recess 45 cut into attachment 3| beneath the forward portion thereof. Portion Ho, and thus arm 4|, is pivotally connected to the body of attachment 3| by means of screw 31. The rear portion of arm M has a guiding flange illi (Figures 2 and 3) which, when arm 4| is in a closed position, fits into a recess 42 in the rear portion of the body of attachment 3|. The degree that arm 5| may move outwardly with respect to body it is limited by means of a pin 49 (Figures 2 and 5) mounted on flange Mb. Pin &2 extends through a longitudinal slot 50 cut into a plate 5| connected to the under surface of body #33 by screws 52. The outer end of plate 5| is positioned in a recess 53 (Figure 3) so that it does not extend below the lower surface of the attachment, and thus cannot interfere with the rearward passage of sleeve skins as they are opened.

Arm M is at all times biased outwardly by a spring 55 (Figures 2 and 4), one end E ia of which fits in a bore 55 in body 49, and the other end of which is positioned in a recess 56 in arm ii. It will be noted that arm 4| is pivotally connected to body 46 at a point well ahead of the cutting edge knife M, and that its rear end is positioned a substantial distance behind the same point. Attachment 3| acts very much the same upon a skin during opening as the spreading of the cloth on each side of a seam prior to cutting the threads holding the seam together with a knife. If the cloth is loosely held and an attempt is made to cut the seam, the knife will cut a ragged, wavy line and will not follow the seam. However, if the cloth on each side of a seam is pulled outwardly, then the knife will out a straight line along the threads.

In opening a sleeve skin which is tubular in shape, the skin is fed onto the forward end the attachment. When the skin reaches arm ii, arm 4! is moved inwardly, but spring 5 exerts continual pressure upon arm Mi so that the portion of the skin beneath the attachment is spread. For example, referring to Figure 8, the skin 58 is held by the operator along its upper edge K and pulled upwardly so that its general shape in cross section is triangular. As the skin moves rearwardly, the skin is stretched between body 4b and arm At! (Figure 6) which exert pressure at points M and N (Figure 8). Thus, the skin is stretched tightly at the point it is being cut, and because of this, a straight, even cut is made as the operator moves the skin rearwardly with respect to attachment 3|. Because of the length of the attachment, and because it continually increases in width toward its rear end, when the skin is cut the opened portion of the skin is spread for a substantial distance beyond the point at which the cut is made. This places additional tension upon the skin at the point it is being cut, increasing the effectiveness of the cutting action of knife I4.

As pointed out hereinabove, opening skins by hand resulted in a substantial loss of fur. Through the use of the machine disclosed, the amount of loss will be substantially less. However, some fur will be cut from the skin by the knife M as it slices through the skins. To save this fur, openings 21a and 2'51) (Figure 9) are provided in plate I! at each end of slot 21, and

an additional opening 68 (Figure 10) is provided to the rear of knife M. Opening 55 is partially closed by a downwardly extending portion 6! of plate H which shields blade M. A housing, generally indicated at 62, completely encloses the space beneath knife 14, and this housing leads to a duct (not shown) which empties into a bin. Suction is provided in the duct, and thus all fur cut from the skins is sucked down through openings 21a and 211) into housing 62, and then to the bin Where the fur is collected. Opening B6 is provided to ensure the collection of all fur torn from the skins by point 36a as it pierces the skins. Thus, in this machine, the amount of fur removed from a skin during opening is substantially reduced, and all fur cut from the skins is saved.

It will thus be seen that an efficient and practical machine for opening skins has been disclosed. Through the use of this machine, the output of an operator is actually double, and

the job of opening skins is greatly simplified. Furthermore, on this one machine, skins of all types may be opened and manual opening of all portions of skins is entirely eliminated. Accordingly, it will be seen that the several objects hereinabove mentioned, as well as many others, have been successfully accomplished.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinabove set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a skin opening machine, in combination, a supporting member, a circular knife mounted on said supporting member, means for driving said knife, a guide for the skins being opened, said guide extending longitudinally of the plane in which the blade of said knife lies, the upper portion of said knife extending upwardly through an opening in said supporting member into the body of said guide, and means for supporting said guide so that its lower surface is positioned above the upper surface of said supporting member, said last-mentioned means being positioned directly over the axis of said knife whereby the end portions of said guide are spaced from said supporting member, the leading and rear portions of the cutting edge of said knife between said supporting memher and guide being spaced forwardly and rearwardly from said supporting member, said guide having one end which extends a substantial distance from the cutting edge of said wheel and terminates in a substantially blunt end and having another end which is pointed, the under edge of said pointed end leading downwardly to the cutting edge of said knife.

2. In a skin opening machine, in combination, a supporting member, a circular knife mounted on said supporting member, means for driving said knife, a guide for the skins being opened, said guide extending longitudinally of the plane in which the blade of said knife lies, the upper portion of said knife extending upwardly through an opening in said supporting member into the body of said guide, and means for supporting said guide so that its lower surface is positioned above the upper surface of said supporting member, said last-mentioned means being positioned directly over the axis of said knife whereby the end portions of said guide are spaced from said supporting member, the leading and rear portions of the cutting edge of said knife between said supporting member and guide being spaced forwardly and rearwardly from said supporting member, said guide being relatively long and narrow and in cluding one portion which extends outwardly a substantial distance from the point at which a skin is cut and terminates in a relatively blunt end, the opposite end of said guide being in the form of a point having substantially the same thickness throughout its length and extending downwardly at an angle toward said knife, the lower surface of said point leading downwardly to the edge of said knife.

3. In a skin opening machine, in combination, a supporting member, a knife mounted on said supporting member, a guide for skins being opened, said knife extending upwardly past the under surface of said guide, supporting means for mounting said guide so that its under surface is spacedfrom the upper surface of said supporting member, said guide extending a substantial distance forwardly from the cutting edge of said knife, and means on said guide for stretching the portion of the skin being cut.

4. In a skin opening machine, in combination, a supporting member, a rotary knife mounted on said supporting member, means for driving said knife, a guide for skins being opened, said knife extending upwardly past the under surface of said guide, supporting means for mounting said guide so that its under surface is spaced from the upper surface of said supporting member, said guide extend-ing a substantial distance forwardly from the cutting edge of said knife, an arm pivotally connected to said guide adjacent the outer end thereof, and a spring for resiliently urging movement of said arm outwardly from said guide in a direction directly away from the plane in which the blade of said knife lies whereby the skin being opene is stretched across the lower surface of said guide as it is cut by said-knife.

5. In a skin opening machine, in combination, a supporting member, a rotary knife mounted on said supporting member, means for driving said knife, said knife extending upwardly through a slot in said supporting member, guide, the upper portion of said, blade being positioned above the lower surface of said guide, said guide being positioned over and extending longitudinally of the blade of said knife, means supporting said guide so that its lower surface is above the upper surface of said table, said last-mentioned means being positioned rearwardly from the cutting edge of said knife, said guide extending a substantial distance forwardly from the forward end of said knife and gradually increasing in width from its forward to its rear end, an arm pivotally connected to said guide forwardly from the cutting edge of said knife, said arm swinging in a plane transverse to the plane in which the of knife lies, and spring means to resiliently urge said arm outwardly from said guide, whereby said guide and arm coast to stretch the portion of said skin being out by said knife.

6. In a skin opening machine, in combination, a supporting member, a knife mounted on said supporting member, a guide for skins being opened, said knife extending upwardly past the undersurface of said guide, supporting means for mounting said guide so that the undersurface of the portion of said guide extendin forwardly from the center of said knife is spaced from the upper surface of said supporting member, said guide extending a susbtantial distance forwardly from the cutting edge of said knife, an arm pivotally connected to said guide adjacent the outer end thereof, and means for urging said arm outwardly in a plane parallel to said supporting member whereby the skin being opened is stretched across. the lower surface of said guide as it is cut by said knife.

7. In a skin opening machine, in combination, a supporting member, a rotary knife mounted on said supporting member, means for driving said knife, a wedge-shaped guide for skins being opened, said knife extending upwardly into an opening in said guide, said guide including an entering end positioned forwardly of -knife and an end secured to said supporting member, said guide increasing in width from said entering end at least to the portion of said guide positioned over said knife, said guide extending a substantial distance forwardly from the cutting edge of said knife, an arm pivotally connected to said guide adjacent the entering end thereof, said arm extending longitudinally of said guide at least past rotary knife, and means resiliently urging said arm outwardly from said guide in a direction outwardly from the plane in which the blade of said knife is positioned, whereby the skin being opened is stretched across the lower surface of said guide as it iscut by said knife.

8. In a skin opening machine. in combination, a supporting member, a circular knife mounted on said supporting member, means for driving said knife, a guide for the skins being opened, said guide extending longitudinally of the plane in which the blade of said knife lies, the upper portion of said knife extendin upwardly into an opening in said guide, means for supporting said guide positioned over the axis of said rotary knife, the leading and rear edges of said guide being spaced forwardly and rearwardly from said supporting member, one of the ends of said guide being blunt and the other end being pointed and having an under edge which leads downwardly to the cutting edge of said knife, a detachable guide positioned over said first-mentioned guide, said detachable guide being spaced from said supporting member and including an opening in which said first-mentioned guide is positioned, means supporting said second-mentioned guide so that the forward portion thereof is spaced from said table, an arm on said second-mentioned guide pivotally connected to said guide adjacent the forward end thereof, and means resiliently urging said arm outwardly away from said knife.

WILLIAM J. YOUNG, JR.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,836,718 Lequillon Dec. 15, 1931 1,854,426 Redemske Apr. 19, 1932 1,925 099 Klinga Sept. 5, 1933 1,925,841 Matthews Sept. 5, 1933 2,044,481 Manley et al June 16, 1936 2,441,378 Zielinski May 11, 1948 

